Mexico weekly ledger., 1887-12-08
THE LEDGER.
EunnY Tnasia.

mo one knows the funny things
toads will do" said the Hon. Jssmes
A. Sweeney. 4 Luzerne county nafar.
alist and ex-niember of the Pennsyf-
Fania legislature. ION n recent
cloudy day, after l hard rain. there
there was a cool breeze blowing. l
was walking in a friends garden near
HaZleton when | heard a peculiar
sound. Looking in the direction from
which it came, I saw two toads in an
open space in the garden. One was
quite large, and the other was at least
a third smaller. They were both
standing on their hind feet, facing
each other. The large toad had its
fore feet over on each side of the
smaller toad's shoulders; the small
toad his left fore foot on the large ones
right leg. As they stood in that way
they uttered strange cultural, sounds.
as if they were discussing some subject
between themselves. Suddenly tho
small toad thrust it's right foot Oh hand,
your might call it, against the large ones
stomach, and the next instant the lat
ter threw the former TO the ground
and a lively wrestie between them
began.
buIihS tiC oI tAS Slouid
the skins of both toads burst open on
the back, and l supposed l was about to
see an interesting process of toads
taking off their old coats rolling them
up ia little balls, and swallowing
them. as naturalists say they do. Z
did witness the process of shedding
the skins, but something much more
singular than the swallowing incident
A.. zaa.r1.sr.al H. 1~.-
windy, as | said, and after the toads
had rubbed their skins in a comical
way toward their heads until they had
both pulled themselves clear of them
each one began to SILVER very pereept-
IDLY with the cold. Suddenly the
small toad hopped quickly to where
the skin of the big one lay and picking
It up in his mouth hoped away sew
eral feet. The big toad followedrtheg-
purloiner OF his east-of clnASslng with
his eyes, and gaTe~fwo or three ap-
peaiing efo9kss,D Out made no other eff
iorGTeeapture the stolen goods.
when the small toad saw that he was
not followed he deliberately set to
work to don the skin he had taken. 1t
took him some time to do it, but he
finally accomplished his purpose and
wentm asqaerading around in the mis-
fit garment exactly like a clown in a
circus wearing the big baggy costume
some Of them appear in.
1.-THE little fellow seemed to enjoy
the novelty of the situation and hoped
around the large toad in what must
have been q most tantalizing manner.
The big toad was shivering like a per-
son chilled through. and by and by
picked up the skin of the small one
and began to force it ON his body.
The process was q difficult one, but
after several minutes of ~unceasiug
effort he stood habilitated in the
cast-off garment of his d~iminutive
companion. If the effect of the big
skin on the little toad had been conf
cal, that of the little skin on the big
toad was more so. The sleeves CT
the coat, so to speak. only came half
way down the arm, and the legs of the
trousers covered the soadfs legs as
though they had been knickerbockers.
The body of the garment wasso tight
that the toad could not work either his
legs or his arms. aud lie stood there
the picture Of comieal despair. By
and by he began to swell himself up,
and that apparently stretched the skin,
for he was able afterwar7i to move
away slowly. He followed the small
toad into the bushes in a d:gnified
manner and both disappeared. What
the outcome of this curious exchange
of clothing was / never knew, but the
incident satisfied ME that loads do
funny things sometimes"